Marià Gonzalvo

Football player infobox
playername= Gonzalvo III
fullname = Marià Gonzalvo Falcón


dateofbirth = birth date|1922|3|22|mf=y
cityofbirth = Mollet del Vallès, Catalonia
dateofdeath = death date and age|2007|4|7|1922|3|22
countryofbirth = Spain
cityofdeath = Barcelona
countryofdeath = Spain
position = Midfielder
youthyears = 19xx-xx
youthclubs = Mollet
years = 19xx-xx
1940-41
1941-42
1942-55
1955-56
1956-57
clubs = CE Europa
FC Barcelona
Real Zaragoza
CF Barcelona
UE Lleida
CD Condal
caps(goals) = X (X)
X (X)
X (X)
208 (26)
X (X)
16 (1)
nationalyears = 1947-55
1946-54
nationalteam = Catalan XI
Spain
nationalcaps(goals) = 3 (0)
16 (1)
manageryears =
managerclubs =
pcupdate = January 6 2006
ntupdate = January 6 2006

Marià Gonzalvo Falcón (born March 22 1922, Mollet del Vallès, Catalonia, died April 7, 2007 [http://www.sport.es/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=44&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=394784&idseccio_PK=803] ), also referred to as Mariano Gonzalvo (his fathers come to Catalonia from Gelsa, Aragon) or Gonzalvo III, is a former Spanish Catalan footballer who spent most of his career at CF Barcelona. Gonzalvo was regarded as one of the most talented midfielders in La Liga during the 1940s and early 1950s. On December 7 1962 CF Barcelona played a testimonial game against C.A. Peñarol in his honour. He also played for both Spain and the Catalan XI. His two older brothers were also notable footballers. Juli Gonzalvo, known as "Gonzalvo I" played for RCD Español while Josep Gonzalvo, known as "Gonzalvo II", also played for CF Barcelona and Spain.

Club career

Gonzalvo began his career a youth with his local team in Mollet, before joining CE Europa. He then signed for FC Barcelona but initially was unable to establish himself in the first team. He spent the 1941-42 season at Real Zaragoza, playing alongside his brother Juli, and helped them gain promotion to La Liga after they finished as runners-up in the Segunda División. He returned to CF Barcelona and made his Primera División debut on December 13 1942 in a 4-2 away defeat against Sevilla CF. Over the next thirteen seasons he was a prominent member of a very successful CF Barcelona team, playing 331 games and scoring 56 goals in all competitions.

Together with a team that included, among others Antoni Ramallets, Velasco, Josep Escolà, Joan Segarra, Estanislao Basora, César, Ladislao Kubala and his brother, Josep, he helped CF Barcelona win five La Liga titles and the Copa del Generalísimo three times in a row. In the 1951 Copa final he scored the third goal in 3-0 win over Real Sociedad. Gonzalvo finished his career playing one season each at UE Lleida and CD Condal. The latter team were originally the reserve team of FC Barcelona but became a separate club during the 1950s. After winning promotion from the Segunda División, they briefly played in La Ligaand were joined by the veteran Gonzalvo.

International career

Between 1946 and 1954 Gonzalvo also played 16 times for Spain. He made his debut for Spain in a 1-0 defeat against Ireland on June 23 1946 and went onto represent them at the 1950 World Cup. Between 1947 and 1955 he also played three times for the Catalan XI. His first game was a 3-1 win against Spain on October 10 1947. On January 26 1955 he played alongside Ladislao Kubala, Estanislao Basora and guest player Alfredo Di Stéfano in a game against Bologna at "Les Corts".

Honours

CF Barcelona

*Spanish Champions: 5
**1945, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953

*Copa del Generalísimo: 3
**1951, 1952, 1953

*Copa Latina: 1
**1949

*Copa de Oro Argentina/Copa Eva Duarte: 4
** 1945, 1949, 1952, 1953

*Copa Martini Rossi: 2
**1952, 1953

Real Zaragoza

*Segunda División
**"Runners-up": 1942 1

External links

* [http://futbol.sportec.es/seleccion/ficha_jugador.asp?j=250&n=gonzalvo/iii/mariano/gonzalvo/falcon Spain stats]
* [http://www.fcbarcelonaonline.com/gonzalvoiii.html Bio at www.fcbarcelonaonline.com]